What Ties Us Together (Le Gouffre fanfic)
by kissun13
Summary: Same plot of the animated short but with a slight twist. Sora wasn't exactly too happy with Stein's new found love interest. However, that will eventually change much later in time.


"Sora, we're going to be eighty by the time we finish this bridge." Stein groaned as he dropped the wooden planks beside his companion, "that or I'll have a broken back at this age."

Sora chuckled at his friend's comment as he continued to tie the pieces together. "Stop complaining. We're nearly there."

Stein stared ahead at their obstacle, and the bridge they've continuously been building was now half way done. Though the life as an adventurer was never an easy job, the duo had to admit that they've really outdone themselves this time. It was then did the friends hear small running footsteps approaching them. Looking over their shoulders they spotted their new friend, Annabelle running towards them with beverages in hand.

"Woah. Slow down there." Stein chuckled, as the young girl stopped before them.

"I made lemonade!" she panted, as the men each took a cup from her hand.

"Thanks for always doing this." Sora nodded. Sitting on the ground, Stein took a drink of his beverage and sat himself on the boulder beside his friend.

"So how long until you'll be finished with the bridge?" the young girl asked, seating herself on the ground in front of the men.

"5 days, maybe? We're really getting to the hard part" Sora responded, looking over his shoulder at their bridge.

"Hmmm…y'know, there's gonna be a festival tonight. You should join us!. " Annabelle spoke excitedly as she practically began to bounce in her seat.

"Festival?" Stein questioned. Sora looked back at the little girl, also intrigued about the event.

"Mhm! The Harvest Festival. All the farmers from around the place come together and we all share the crop we have grown. There's going to be music, dancing and lots of good food! Oh, you both should definitely come!" She was now on her feet, and stood closely in front of Sora and Stein.

"I don't know…we're nearly done the bridge.." Sora thought aloud.

"Come on, buddy!" Stein patted his friend on the back, as Sora looked at him in worry. "I'm sure it's going to be fun! And you have to admit that we need a rest."

Sora thought for a moment, though the two pairs of eyes that bore into him caused his decision to lean more one way. He let out a defeated sigh, and he looked between the Annabelle and Stein. "Fine. We'll go."

"We're here!" Annabelle gleefully spoke as she led the men into the clearing. Both Stein and Sora were taken aback by the wondrous occasion before them. Tables were laid out with people sat around them, enjoying their meal and conversation. A loud band played a variety of instruments as people danced around and laughed on the small dance floor. The far side of the clearing was an incredibly long table with a variety to food and desserts. All was lit by a few torches, and lanterns that were strung above everyone's heads.

Though the adventurous friends had brought enough food to last them for quite some time, the freshly made meals caused their stomach to grumble loudly. Annabelle giggled at their gawking looks and their rumbling bellies. "Come on, sillies! Eat and have fun!"

Further into the night after the two adventurous had eaten, they sat and watched the villagers dance with a beer in hand. They were savoring their down time, and enjoyed the laughter and music that filled the air.

"Excuse me?" a soft feminine voice spoke. The men turned their heads towards the source, and was taken a back by the beauty before them. The woman looked to be about their age. Her dark brown locks were tied into a side braid, while her dark orbs intently looked at the duo. "My name's Elaine, I see that you're friends with my cousin Annabelle."

Regaining himself, Sora smiled and nodded. "I'm Sora." Hearing nothing from his friend, he looked over at Stein and saw that his friend was gaping at her. He stifled a laugh at his friend's look and returned his attention back to the woman. "And this is Stein."

Giving his blond companion a hard elbow nudge to his rib, he seemed to have regained his composure and smiled. "H-Hi."

Elaine giggled, which caused Stein's face to heat up. She looked at Sora nodded towards his friend. "I hope you don't mind me stealing your friend away for a few moments to dance, do you?"

Sora leaned back into his seat, thoroughly entertained with his friend's bashfulness. "Go right ahead, miss." He watched as Elaine grabbed Stein's hand and lead him onto the dance floor. While being dragged, Stein quickly looked over his shoulder at his betraying friend and glared. Sora just chuckled and raised his glass at his friend.

While sitting alone for a few long moments and consuming more alcohol, Sora began to notice more of the spark between Stein and Elaine. Having known Stein for almost his whole life, he knew that look in his eyes. It wasn't the look he got when discovering new things or solving a problem of getting from point A to B, though it was similar. With the way Stein's smile touched his lips and the laugh that emitted from his belly, Sora could see that his companion was in love.

Sora was brought to reality back when he heard the music stop to transition into another. He watched as his friend and the woman exchange words, before Stein sauntered his way back to his seat beside Sora. He was practically glowing, and looked like a child that got a puppy for Christmas. Sora took a long swig of his beer, before starting to converse.

"So how was dancing with Elaine?"

"It was alright." Stein casually replied. Though he tried to sound nonchalant, Sora could see his smile that stretched from eat to ear, even when drinking his beer.

"You're totally into her." Sora stated. Sensing no reply from his friend, he gave him a nudge on the shoulder. "You are! Dude, you just met her."

"I know I just met her! I didn't say I liked her," Stein retorted, finally looking back at his friend.

While the two friends laughed about the matter, Sora felt a tinge of annoyance about the situation. It was all entertaining at first, he wasn't ready for their adventures to end just yet. Though he may be jumping ahead and making assumptions in his head, his gut feeling told him his thoughts may be right. He then thought it would be wise to finish the bridge as soon as possible to get away from the village.

Sora felt agitated as he worked the next morning. Though himself and Stein were keeping good pace on the bridge, he couldn't help but feel bothered by the girls who decided to watch them at the time. Looking at Stein, he noticed him working a bit harder that day. He carried a bit more than usual, and had a more concentrated face. This slightly excited Sora, hoping that Stein too wanted to leave the village and quickly return on their quest. It wasn't until Elaine called their names to wave, did he see Stein become flustered.

"Stein, watch out!" Sora warned him before closed his eyes and cringed as he heard his companion gasp in surprise, followed by a loud thud. Slowly opening his eyes, he found his friend on the ground and their neat pile of wood now collapsed and astray. Sora gave a roll of his eyes as he helped his friend to his feet. In the distance, he could hear the laughter of Elaine and Annabelle from Stein's mishap. "Come on, man. Get it together."

"Sorry," Stein spoke and he rubbed the bump on his head. "I was just a bit distracted."

"A bit?" Sora questioned with a raise of his brow.

"Well…okay. A lot."

"Whatever, man. Just watch yourself, alright?"

Over the past few days, the relationship between Stein and Elaine had blossomed into something bigger. She had invited for them to sleep at her cottage, and would often visit them at the bridge to chat with the blonde man. For Stein, building the bridge was something he wasn't too concerned about at that point.

For Sora, on the other hand, was continuously growing more jealous. He understood his friend's happiness from being approached by such a beautiful woman, but the point of the trip was to adventure around Canada. Just the two of them. Falling in love wasn't part of the agenda.

"Hey boys! I brought some lunch" Elaine called, walking over with a picnic basket.

"Great! I was getting hungry!" Stein said while wiping his brow with his forearm. Sora rolled his eyes as Stein helped Elaine lay out the picnic blanket.

"We just had breakfast." Sora retorted as he begrudgingly walked over to the couple and sat with them.

"Nonsense! You both need to keep your energy up! And what better way to keep it up with some sandwiches and fruit. Don't be shy, now. Eat as much as you want" Elaine continued to pull food out from the basket and hand them out.

While Stein happily ate, Sora took his time and ate small bites. Looking at Elaine, he couldn't really understand why he had such negative feelings towards her. She was an incredibly nice woman who gave them a bed to sleep in and food to eat. Why did Stein and Elaine's relationship bug him so much?

"You know," Elaine began after emptying the basket, "you both should stay in the village for awhile after the bridge is built. Rest up before exploring the world again."

"I-"

"We can't." Sora quickly spoke, cutting off his friend. Stein and Elaine both looked at Sora, while the man kept his eyes locked on the ground. "I'm sorry, but we just have a lot to see. Isn't that right Stein?"

Finally looking up to make eye contact with his partner, Stein quickly averted his eyes down, a flash of uncertainty crossing his face. "Umm.. Yeah."

"Oh.. That's a shame." Elaine softly spoke, a noticeable sadness in her tone.

Sora trailed his eyes back down on his sandwich, feeling a bit restless from the silence that fell upon them. It wasn't for a few moments did he start hearing small clanging. Looking up again, he watched as Stein removed his stone necklace that was laid around his neck and handed it to Elaine.

"What's this?" she questioned, taking and inspecting the handmade jewelry that was placed in her palm.

"A gift." Stein replied, a smile gracing his lips, "to remember me. Er…us."

"That's incredibly sweet of you. In return…" Elaine took her handkerchief from pocket and placed it in Stein's open palm. "A gift from me to you. To remind you both that you should take care of yourselves on your journey. And for you to remember me and hopefully return." Stein stared lovingly at Elaine, while she returned the gaze.

Feeling left out of the conversation, Sora got to his feet and walked back towards his work station. More than anything did he want to finish the bridge and cross to the other side.

It was finally the morning of departure, however the skies weren't the usual shade of bright blue anymore. Instead it was invaded by a sheet of light grey clouds looming over the land; a sign that a big storm was coming.

Sora had been finishing up a few final touches, while Stein had spent most of his morning with Elaine. Sora allowed it since they were due to leave once the wind picked up.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! Anything else for me to do?" Stein asked as he approached Sora.

Sora gave his friend a smile and shook his head. "Everything is set up. We'll be ready to go later today."

"Stein! Sora!" called a smile voice. The friends turned around to find Annabelle running towards them. They smiled at the sight, knowing that it was the last time they'd see it. She was a sweet girl, who had done a lot for them ever since they arrived. "A few villagers wanted to give you some food for your journey!" she said as soon as she was close enough.

Elaine walked up from behind them and stood along side her little cousin. "Annabelle, you take Stein along with you. I want to have a word with Sora." Annabelle nodded, not thinking too much about it. Stein gave a look between his lover and friend before being pulled off by the little girl.

Elaine and Sora stood side by side in silence near the edge of the chasm. A cold breeze blew through them, as more clouds continued to roll in. "So," Sora began, keeping his eyes forward at the deep fall of rock and earth, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't want us to leave on bad terms" Elaine softly spoke, turning her body to face Sora.

"Bad terms? I'm not sure what you're taking about." Sora responded, giving a slight turn of his head to look at her face that had a small smile on her lips.

"Sora, we both know what I'm talking about. I understand that you and Stein are wanderers. Always out for adventure. Just the two of you. I never meant to ruin that. I.. just wanted to apologize if I've ruined any of your plans."

Sora could hear the sincerity of her voice. Hearing her apologize, he couldn't help but feel stupid for the jealous thoughts that had been consuming him day and night for the past few days. He turned to fully face and her and curled his lip to attempt a smile.

"I should be the one apologizing for being so rude. I don't know what I was getting so worked up about." The man admitted.

It was Elaine's turn to divert her eyes to look ahead at the bridge. "Stein talks greatly of you, you know. He always talks about how you come up with these great ideas, and how you always keep the team so motivated. I could tell that you both think of each other as family." Elaine rested her eyes back on Sora, as she placed a loving hand on his cheek. "We were both stupid for trying to keep Stein to ourselves. He loves us both greatly. I believe for right now, he needs you more than he needs me." Sora watched as her eyes welled his tears, but kept them from falling down her cheek. "Take care of him, Sora. And please come visit. A family to Stein is my family too."

Sora's lips stretched wider into a true smile as the two embraced. "We'll be back, Elaine. I promise."

"_STEIN!_" Sora roared, as his partner's body disappeared into the dark chasm. Before he knew it, his body shook as his eyes poured out tears mixed with the rain. It felt as though his heart was hit by a train while watching Stein slip past his fingertips. How did this happen? This was suppose to be their adventure. Just the two of them. Sora and Stein.

Moments had passed, and the rain had continued to fall around the man. The thunder sounded distant, and the lightning was nothing but merely little flashes. All he could see are shadows of red coming from the flare gun that Stein shot out of. Everything around him didn't matter. He was too numb to care. All he wanted was his dear friend back.

One the other side of the bridge, more tears were being shed by the lover of Stein. Though instead of sadness and angst, it was from happiness upon seeing the false signal, she was incredibly relieved that the friends made it across.

Little did she and the other villagers know that the truth was far from joyous.

It had been a year since Sora last saw Stein. There were some nights where he couldn't sleep; those nightmares of seeing his closest friend falling to his death over and over again. The worst part was that each time, he couldn't change anything. That feeling of helplessness drove him into such deep guilt that it became an obstacle which he can never seem to get over.

But eventually, time helped him moved on. He had traveled a lot around Canada and continued on with his adventures. Although Stein wasn't around anymore, Sora knew that he was watching him from above and was, in a way, walking along side him on their journeys.

With flowers in hand, Sora slowly walked along the familiar path towards Stein's resting spot. In the distance, he spotted the deep chasm that took his beloved friend's life. He took a sharp inhale of air, not slowing his walking pace. It was then did something caught his eye. As he continued to approach, he noticed something that caused him to hold the air in his lungs for a few moments.

Before him was a new bridge that lead over the chasm and towards the village. He inspected the platform, noticing the sturdiness and the evident hard work that was put into it. Sora gave a small smile, thinking about how Stein and himself had inspired the villagers to create a permanent bridge. Bending down on one knee, Sora rested the flowers at the edge of the chasm. He knew Stein would get mad at him for being negative about his death. Instead, he thought about all their great explorations, and all the unforgettable memories they shared. He can almost remember Stein's laughter echoing in the back of his mind. After a moment of reflecting, he stood to his feet and walked on the bridge.

Sora stood at Elaine's door. He couldn't bring himself to knock, so instead he stared at the pieces of formed wood. "Sora?" called a familiar voice behind him. The man quickly whirled around to find that he was just meters away from Elaine. Before he had the chance to say anything, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and was holding him in a tight embrace. "Sora! You're back! When did you get here? How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Hey, Elaine" was all the man could say. The two released the hug, and Elaine was instantly looking around him.

"Where's Stein?" she asked excitedly. Sora's heart dropped into the pits of his stomach at that question. He wanted to run back across the bridge and never look back, but she deserved to know.

"Elaine," he began, bringing her focus back onto him, "Stein…. Stein is gone."

"What… do you mean gone?" the brunette questioned hesitantly, her face dropping from elated to concerned.

"The night that we crossed the bridge…Stein…he…," Sora stammered his friend's name but couldn't seem to let the words out. He had a faraway look in his eyes and his body began to shake, which Elaine took notice of.

"Oh, sweetie. Let's get inside and have some te-"

"He fell off the bridge," the man blurted out. At this point, his eyes were foggy with tears as he looked at the woman before him. "I couldn't save him, Elaine. I couldn't reach his hand. Before I knew it he..he.." Sora was unable to finish as wave of emotion hijacked his body and mind. Elaine quickly embraced the man again and rubbed his back, whispering comforting words.

"Shh. It's alright, Sora. Everything is going to be okay." Elaine, too, was overwhelmed by a great amount of emotion, her heart was broken into a thousand pieces the moment she heard the truth. Nonetheless, she decided to stay strong for the both of them. "Let's get inside and talk some more, okay? Shhhh…you're alright. Come on in."

Sora silently sipped his tea, while Elaine placed some pastries onto the table. She sat across of him and placed a hand on his. "You feeling better?"

Sora gave a small nod in response. "I'm sorry for all that."

"Don't apologize. I know it's a hard thing to talk about."

"Are you angry with me?" Sora asked, keeping his eyes down casted on their overlapped hand. He watched as her small hand squeezed his.

"Of course not. None of that could have been predicted."

"I should of let him run ahead first. That way he-"

"Sora." The man slowly looked up to find the woman in front of him flashing him a stern look. "Don't say any of that nonsense. I'm sure Stein would be very angry with you if he heard you say those kinds of things."

Sora stayed silent, knowing that what she said was true.

Sora felt nostalgic as he sat in the same clearing for the Harvest Festival. With a beer in hand, he watched from the sides as the locals danced the night away. He kept an empty chair on the right of him with an open beer rested on the seat. He had a feeling that Stein was seated beside him and was also enjoying the festivities.

"Excuse me." Spoke a voice, which caused Sora to look up. He smiled as he faced with Elaine, feeling as though he was going through déjà vu. Elaine, in return, gave a knowing smile back. "Would you like to dance?"

Sora placed his beer down and stood to his feet. "I'd love to."

Eyes from the sidelines watched as Sora and Elaine laughed and had a great time that evening. As the music slowed down, they had no problem easing into each other to sway with the music. Stein's soul glowed as he watched the two people he most cared about dancing together. He flashed a wide smile as he sipped the beer that was left for him by his partner.

Little did Sora and Elaine know that tonight was the beginning of their new adventure together.


End file.
